


What If we could turn it back?

by April__flower



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Human Tragedy, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, MAMA Era Powers (EXO), Romance, Science Fiction, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:06:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23262172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/April__flower/pseuds/April__flower
Summary: Even when history can be reset, somethings the soul never forget.Especially when Thunder meets Ice.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Minseok | Xiumin
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31
Collections: Magika Astra: Thundervalor





	What If we could turn it back?

**Author's Note:**

> **Archive Number:** MA-TV-24  
>  **Conduit:** Twelve people have the power to be unite and restart the world. Jongdae is one of them, having grown in a destroyed world, he actually sees the restart was a better option. A fresh beginning for everyone. That is until the ice holder enter is life. (Norn9 based AU) 
> 
> **Author's Note:** I really enjoyed writing this story, the anime have some plot holes that really allowed me to play with the story.  
> Also I have to give a big thank you to my betas for helping me with plot holes and grammar!  
> I hope you enjoy the story!

Cold winds blew through the trees. A soft layer of snow covered the ground below their feet, and Jongdae could only wonder why the hell he offered to come and find the missing one, leaving the warmth and safety of their headquarters far behind him just to venture deep into some stone-cold woods.

_ “Have you found anything?” _ Junmyeon asked through his earpiece.

“No, are you sure the coordinates are correct?”

_ “Yes, you are in the right place. They must be close by.” _

“Jun, it’s fucking freezing here. I don’t see any animals or running water… I don’t know if I will find someone alive.”

“ _ You better pray you do. I’m not waiting any longer to do the Reset.” _

Oh yes, the Reset. 

To Junmyeon, it was the salvation of humanity and the end to their suffering. To Jongdae, it was the ultimate question of one’s morality and the reason he still has nightmares. 

Very long ago, before any of them were even born, the world fell into the fourth world war. Everyone was a victim and a victimizer and even children were put into the line of fire. A group of great minds got together and came up with a plan to save humanity from themselves: the Reset. A way to return everything to zero and make the earth a beautiful place again so everything could grow, and history could be written in a different way.

Or so they thought.

They went through with their plan, creating an A.I. capable of surviving through time, and hid Gifts - abilities that made the Reset possible - into the DNA of some people. Those would be passed on through generations and when necessary, the A.I. would be there to help the Gifted come together and use their abilities to start the Reset if they wished to do so. That way, the decision would be in the hands of the youngest of the generation since the Gifts passed on after their thirtieth birthday, if they managed to live that long.

But people and time worked in a different way. After three Resets, people came to know about the Gifted and the Reset. Fear and anger took over what should have been the wish to fight for something better, and the Gifted became renegades, fighting to survive in a world that wanted them dead or locked up.

Therefore, it was normal that most of them saw the Reset as the end of all their suffering, but to Jongdae, it was almost pointless. People would find out eventually and then everything would repeat again. He tried to tell that to everyone in the Cube, but they didn’t listen. Just like no one ever listens to the thunder before the storm.

“I can’t really find anyone, Junmyeon. Maybe Baekhyun will have better luck on his side of the woods.”

_ “I don’t think so. Keep looking.” _

And so he did, walking for hours in the woods and looking for any sign of a living being until the moon was shining bright in a darkened sky. This was his sign to ask Junmyeon to send Jongin and get his ass back ‘home’ because nights were when all the bad people came out. He could easily protect himself from anyone, but even he found that fighting dumbasses with lightning was a bit of an overkill.

“Hey, Junmyeon…” Jongdae tried contacting him, but the sight of lanterns to his right made him fall behind a tree. A group of three or four guys were making their way deep into the woods.

_ Where are they going? It’s a bit late for a casual walk _ , he thought, following them until he saw it...a cabin perfectly camouflaged between rocks and trees with loose branches covering its walls and ceiling. Probably an old hunting hut. 

He watched from afar while the men made their way inside before stepping slowly to one of the windows. For a moment, everything that he saw seemed perfectly normal: some animal skins, guns, traps, a kitchen with a table and some chairs, some type of box covered by an old sheet and some beds. But something made him stay and watch while they made themselves at home. Something was pulling  _ him _ to just not leave.

_ “Jongdae, where are you?” _

“Give me a little more time…I found something” he whispered, taking up position behind some of the branches.

“ _ I will have Jongin and Baekhyun on standby. Report every hour or I’m sending them to find you.” _

“Copy that…”

The men took off their shoes, got some drinks out, ate, and even played games while Jongdae stood there, waiting and reporting. They must have been on their fifth poker game when one finally stood and walked unsteadily to the box, pulling off the sheet and revealing a skinny boy with skin and hair like snow and wearing only some old clothes. An innocent and fragile looking boy if it wasn’t for the beautiful crystals of frost covering all his body. A Gifted….locked up like an animal for the fun of others.

That broke something inside of him. Jongdae had seen worse before. Sehun was almost dead when they found him in a destroyed field in the middle of nowhere, covered with rocks and dirt, but something about that boy was pulling his powers, calling them in a way he couldn’t really fight.

The last thing he heard was the thunder before the blackness fell.  
  


🌐⚡ ️ ❄ ️ 🌐  
  


_ “Hyung, why is the world so grey?” he asked his older brother. _

_ “Smoke from the factories. Big ones like one were mom and dad worked…” _

_ “Will they ever come back?” The older chose to remain silent while his brother took the chance to lie on his chest. How could he ever explain to the younger that there were officially orphans again like some many others that lived on that same street? _

_ War really was a terrible thing, especially for the survivors. _

_ And their powers didn’t help, how would others take them? Two freaks that some old couple took from an orphanage out of pity and a bit of love.  _

_ “You are always so cold, hyung…” _

_ “Sorry, I can’t control my ice very well. But try to sleep, little spark…I will keep watch…” _

_ “I miss when mom called me that…I miss home.” _

_ “Yeah, me too…” he said, pulling him closer to his chest. Not knowing that his little spark wouldn’t survive the winter.  
  
_

🌐⚡ ️ ❄ ️ 🌐  
  


Corpses. Bloody and burned.

That was always the image Minseok would remember when recalling how he met Jongdae. The bodies around him and the golden eyes that made him shiver before the boy lost consciousness.

Everything happened very fast that night, from being awoken by thunder and lightning to being taken away from the cage by other boys, all who tried to explain everything to him or touch him when he just wanted distance and maybe an explanation of who the first boy was. 

Instead, he found himself being knocked down when he tried to leave just to wake up in an unknown room with two boys. One of them had flaming red hair that made Minseok want to hiss at him, but the shorter one had a very calm but dominant aura – a leader, maybe.

“Where am I?”

“Our headquarters, but more importantly, safety,” the shorter one told him.

Minseok looked around, noticing the absence of windows. “Looks more like a dungeon to me.”

“We are underground. Humans would kill us if they found us. This is the safest place on earth for us. It was made for the original Gifted.”

“You keep talking about us or our, but I don’t even know you or your guard dog,” he said, gesturing at the red-haired boy with a tilt of his head. “For all I know, you aren’t any better than the men who had me.”

“My name is Junmyeon. My Gift is water, so I came to talk to you. I thought our powers would be somewhat compatible enough to make you relax a bit.”

“And him?”

“Chanyeol,” the red haired responded while crossing his arms. “I’m just a safety pin. My power is fire, so if you’re nuclear, I’m the one beating your ass.”

“Hm…I like him.” He laughed and rolled his eyes. “Again, why would I trust you? And where is the lightning guy?”

“Jongdae is still out. And you have to trust us because together we can make the Reset happen…”

“Reset?”

Minseok wasn’t dumb. He knew about the Reset. He heard about that from all the men and women who owned him, even from the bastard he called dad. But he never really thought about it.

“Yes, we can restart everything…wouldn’t that be nice? End all the pain and just start fresh, do things the right way this time. You were the last piece.”

“And the deaths? People are shit, but I’m not about to murder millions of innocent children.”

“Reincarnation. Don’t ask me how, but the scientists made a Cube that holds the souls during the Reset. In time, everyone is reborn in a better life. Think about it. No more hunger, war, or hate against us. We can have a normal life for once!”

“What a damn good philosophy that is.” Minseok laughed before looking into Junmyeon’s eyes. “Tell me one thing, sweetie. If evil is in the soul, what good would a new world be? Didn’t you learn a damn thing after two Resets? The souls will always be the problem, not the planet. The poor thing is not our toy.”

“So what, you want to be a runaway forever?”

“I think I’m tired of hearing you speak like a priest of the doomsday. Now answer me, am I a prisoner?”

“No, but you cannot leave the headquarters.”

“But I can walk out?”

“Yes.”

“Great. I’m leaving then.”

“Will you tell us your name at least?”

“Minseok.” He told them while closing the door behind him.

_ The Reset is a curse wrapped in a pretty package, _ his mother once told him when he was still a little boy. Minseok agreed. People already hated and feared them. They were so afraid of what they could do because no one really wanted to die. But knowing about the souls made Minseok wonder…if they did it, will they have to live another life as Gifted, too? Yes, having powers was fun when he was little and not tortured by his own kind. Without the hate, living a normal life would be easy, but the people had found out about the Reset by themselves in this world. What would stop them from finding out again?

He made his way through the empty and dark corridors, following the noises he could faintly hear in the distance. From the little that he heard about the Reset, there were twelve forces. He met three of them, so there were still eight unknown people in the same building as him. Not a fair number of unknown threats if he needed to make a run for it.

“Stop thinking so loud; I hate catching thoughts,” A voice said behind him, making Minseok look over his shoulder. “I’m Luhan. My power is telekinesis, but sometimes, I can catch some thoughts or feelings if they are loud or strong enough,” the stranger explained, not trying to approach him.

“Minseok. Ice.”

“Are you looking for something?”

“Not exactly,” Minseok lied, receiving a smirk from the deer-like guy in front of him.

“You know, everyone is a pretty good guy around here. Most of us even have our own sad backstory to make us true hero material. Except maybe Chanyeol. You can give him shit about it, but the guy had a damn good life. His mother even lied to protect him from the police.”

He pondered for a moment before giving a cold gaze to the other. “Why would I care?”

Luhan nodded.

“Fine, whatever rocks your boat, dude.”

Minseok did just that in the following days. Making a home of his temporary prison wasn’t an option in his books, so he decided to keep to himself, looking for ways to avoid everyone else and sometimes taking a look into the infirmary to look over the sleeping thunder boy. ‘Overcharged’ as the healer, Yixing, told him. From what he understood the boy had taken too much energy into his very human body. No one expected him to wake up for a few days, so he stayed, spending his free time sitting in the corner opposite to the bed in silence. 

Just wondering.

Why did that boy do it? Yes, he heard from spying on the others and some short conversations that Jongdae was an extremely kind person with a very strict non-violence rule. So why break that rule to burn those men to ashes for a stranger?

It didn’t make sense in his mind, but somehow his heart grew warmer when he watched over Jongdae everyday while making theories about why Jongdae did it. 

“I really don’t get you, thunder boy.” Minseok murmured, resting his arms on the bedside. “Do you know me? Do you have some evil plan?” He rested his head on his hand. “I bet you have an evil plan, I heard Baekhyun calling you a troll the other day…”

He waited for an answer, but like always, none came.

He sighed. “They also said that you would hug everyone when you woke up. Please don’t…I really don’t enjoy touches, and I swear I will give you frostbite if you even try.” 

Silence.

“Good talk…” He stood, pulling the sheets up a bit more before leaving again without answers.

No one really knew why he went there. Looking for an explanation wouldn’t make him go there every day. Even Minseok knew that. 

He was lonely, limited in a space that he had to share with ten other people that he didn’t trust and that were busy keeping everyone comfortable and fed until the D-day. The same people he sometimes found whispering about him… 

Jongdae was probably the one only he trusted. After all, he probably couldn’t even hear him…

“Minseok, leaving already?” Yixing asked when he saw Minseok exiting the infirmary.

“Yes, he didn’t have much to say,” Minseok said dryly.

Yixing laughed. “It’s good to see you making jokes. You should join the rest of us in the cafeteria or in the living room after dinner.”

“Not in the mood.”  
  


🌐⚡ ️ ❄ ️ 🌐

_  
“Chen, where the hell are you?” _

_ “On my way home, dear. Chill, Xiu.” _

_ “It’s late, please just come home. You know things are getting worse.” _

_ “You are not the only one on the front lines, dear.” _

_ “The war is still going on; the people are getting desperate. I know you want to help everyone in the shelter, love, but don’t put yourself at risk. I can’t lose you.” _

_ “You ask me that, but you are still leaving tomorrow to god knows where…” _

_ “Chen…” _

_ “No, Xiumin. I get it. For you, my place is close between four walls just waiting for any sign that you are alive when I don’t even know where you are going, so I can’t stay a few hours in the shelter down the street.” _

_ “It’s not like that. I really want to tell you, but I can’t. It’s a secret. This…This will change the world if everything goes well.” _

_ “Goodbye, Xiumin. I think I will spend the night at my mom’s.” _

_ “Chen, lov-.” _

_ “Don’t.” _

_ He ended the call, pushing the phone back into his pocket. He wasn’t an idiot, actually. Chen knew very well how dangerous the world really was, and he had to live in it alone while his dear boyfriend was sent far away to fight the war. _

_ But someone had to help the little ones, feed them, and treat them. Being human was sometimes a priority in a world where every child was a possible next soldier. _

_ Deep down he knew. The war changed something in his lover’s eyes. He saw it when he came back from his first battle. His Xiumin was broken, turned into a desperate soldier.  _

_ Xiumin no longer believed in humanity nor in a human solution of the war, just a logical way out of it. Some new way of building a utopian world from their broken one. A world where he wouldn’t fear losing his heart – as he called Chen – in the hands of cruel men. _

_ A restart, he called it. _

  
🌐⚡ ️ ❄ ️ 🌐   
  


The moment Jongdae woke up, he knew he had been a criminal in another life. Only that could explain why Junmyeon was giving him a murderous look.

“Good to see you are alive.”

“Are you sure? You don’t look very happy.”

“Nonsense.” Junmyeon smiled. “Who doesn’t like to end a mission with corpses and a thunderstorm that was noticed in three different cities?”

“Sorry…” Jongdae said, looking down to his hands. “But I don’t…I don’t remember doing that. I mean, I remember seeing their bodies before blacking out, but nothing more.”

“What happened before that? What made you go nuts?”

Jongdae stopped for a moment, pondering over Junmyeon’s question. He could easily lie, but something in him told him to be honest because the pain he could still feel in his chest was very real.

“Him…”

“The ice Gifted?”

“Yes. I don’t know Junmyeon, but when I saw him…I just felt this anger inside me. I could only think about how they were hurting him and that made me want to hurt them. But then when I saw his eyes…I felt pain. Like I just said something that I had been missing for a long time.”

Junmyeon lifted an eyebrow. “Missing?”

He nodded.

“I will talk with Baekhyun and Yixing about it. Rest a bit.”

Junmyeon may have left Jongdae to rest for the time being, but what Jongdae told him didn’t leave his mind while he made his way to his office, where Baekhyun and Yixing were already waiting for him.

“How is he?” Baekhyun asked.

“Tired but normal.” Junmyeon answered before looking at Baekhyun. “Is everything ready in the Cube?”

“Yes, we can do it whenever we are ready.”

“Good…”

“Jun…are you sure this is the best way?” Yixing asked.

“I don’t know. We all heard Minseok’s opinion on this and something Jongdae said is making me think…”

“About what?” Baekhyun asked while lifting an eyebrow.

“Souls…With the Reset, we know that the souls of everyone are saved, but does that mean we are all living new lives with old souls? Are our powers connected with our souls?”

“A bit philosophical, don’t you think? Those sound like dangerous questions because they don’t have an answer.”

“Maybe they do.” Yixing said, biting his lower lip. “We know we are the only ones with powers in the history of this world, and they only know about us because they found the original headquarters. Actually, if it wasn’t for Baekhyun’s mentor, we wouldn’t have the Cube right now…so yes, our souls may be connected to our powers.”

“But we don’t have proof and honestly, this is the last Reset we can do anyway. After what they did to the Cube, it’s a miracle that it can take another Reset,” Baekhyun explained.

“We aren’t even sure that we can make it happen! You heard the A.I. of the Cube, we will all be put to the test in there.”

“I think we have nothing to lose. If we make the Reset, no one will know about us again. If we fail, then the Cube is destroyed. Therefore, they have nothing against us!”

“We are doing it, okay?” Junmyeon said, stopping the two of them. “That was never the question. Just the details. Now go. Baekhyun, make sure everything is ready. We are doing it in a month. Yixing, make sure Jongdae is up and running in time.”

“I’m pretty sure your resident Ice prince will do most of the job for me.”

“Really? He always looks like he is ready to fight me if I even breathe in his direction,” Baekhyun laughed.

“He probably is. The guy had a rough life.”

“You say that like you, Junmyeon, and Yifan weren’t guinea pigs in a lab until you were twelve…”

“He doesn’t know that,” Junmyeon defended him while massaging his temples.

“Exactly, and he does have a soft spot for Jongdae. One time, he almost froze me because I wanted to use a syringe on Jongdae and he assumed it was drugs.” Yixing smiled at the shock on Baekhyun’s face.

Junmyeon wanted to laugh with him, but his mind couldn’t stop thinking about the souls. Was it possible that they already met more than one time? And if they did, what would the consequences be when they were put to the test?

🌐⚡ ️ ❄ ️ 🌐  
  


_ “Xiumin!” His captain called.  _

_ “Yes, sir?” _

_ “We are out of uniform. Call me Suho.” The captain smiled, giving Xiumin a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Are you ready for the meeting?” _

_ “Not really…I had a fight with my boyfriend the other day because of this project.” _

_ “Because it is secret?” _

_ “Kinda? I…I’m not so sure if I want to be a part of this. A Reset would be nothing for me if I lose him over it.” _

_ “Bring him with you.” _

_ “What?” _

_ “Yes, I mean, we are missing a few people, and I know some of the others are bringing their partners, so bring him.” _

_ “He is a man of hope and kindness. I’m not sure he will want to give up his faith in humanity “ _

_ “We all have morals, but they are offering us the chance to do everything right from the start. Besides, he will live another life with you. Gifted will always be destined to meet…” _

_ “I’m pretty sure I would find him anyway. I truly love him, you know…” _

_ “So ask him to love you for another life.”  
  
_

🌐⚡ ️ ❄ ️ 🌐  
  


“Still sleeping, I see,” Minseok commented as he took his usual seat. “Really, a plant is more useful than you…”

“Ouch, you are so mean!” A voice whined, making Minseok’s eyes pop in surprise.

“Y-you…Did you talk?”

Jongdae opened his eyes, smirking at him. “Yes, people tend to do just that. Hello, you look better than I remember.”

That was an understatement. Minseok looked absolutely wonderful now that he had fuller cheeks, a bath, and proper clothing on him, but his eyes took the medal. They were just as beautiful as Jongdae remembered, big feline eyes that made him shiver but also pulled him in. He wished he could trace over them with his fingertips, so that he could memorize their shape with his hands, but something told him that if he did it, he would get really bad frostbite.

“And you look less homicidal.”

Jongdae frowned. “You just had to remind me of that. Not my best moment.”

“They were bad men; don’t worry about that.”

He smiled a bit at Minseok’s words, even if the other wasn’t looking at him. Jongdae knew that Minseok was trying to make him feel better.

“What is your name?” Jongdae asked. “I’m sure you already found out mine.”

“Minseok.”

“Whoever named you really cherished you…”

Minseok rolled his eyes. “I think I liked you better when you didn’t speak.”

“Liar. If that was true, you would have left.”

“This is the coldest room; I have headaches when it is too hot.”

“And here I was, thinking you came here to admire my hotness.”

“Now I’m sure I liked you better when you didn’t speak.”

Jongdae laughed, and they slowly fell into silence while he admired Minseok’s eyes once again. 

For once, he found himself feeling content in the void of the silence, like the world fell quiet just for them. No wars, no riots, no fireworks. Nothing but the sounds of their heartbeats and breathing. 

How beautiful was that? That feeling of absolute peace that he found growing in his chest at every second he spent looking at the other. Like he has finally finished a race against time and won. Like he just got home…

_ Home, _ he pondered. He hadn’t thought about home in years. It almost felt like a lifetime had gone by since he left. He wondered what his father would say if he saw Jongdae today. Would he be proud? His father always told him to be a fighter just like him, so probably not, but he did fight to protect his friends. That would make him proud enough. He was always sad when Jongdae was a kid. Since he was a supporter of the Reset, having a Gifted as a kid was a blessing, but his son was a peacemaker as a child, always crying before small things and running from every fight.

Of course, life made him grow out of it. 

“Jongdae,” Minseok called, pulling him from his thoughts and making him look at the eldest. “I…Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Saving me, idiot.”

“You don’t ha-”

“I know I don’t have to, but I want to. I was stuck there for a year. It was not the worst place I’ve been in, but it was still bad enough.”

“You don’t have to tell me, but why didn’t you fight back?”

“I can’t…I don’t have control over my powers. Most of the time, they are pretty much connected to my emotions…But don’t you dare tell this to anyone! I’m pretty sure your friend Baekhyun would jump me if he knew I can’t actually hurt him.”

“I think I can help you with that.” He smiled and asked for Minseok’s hand. Minseok gave him a funny look but gave Jongdae his right hand. “Your power is very much connected with your emotions. No one can really tell you how to use it because that is something personal. Love, hate, pain…any emotion can be a trigger when strong enough.”

“Even fear, I guess,” Minseok murmured, remembering how he used his powers to protect himself.

“Especially fear. You see, some emotions are very difficult to control, so we may lose ourselves to the power when they take over.” 

_ Like I did, _ he thought.

“Let’s try something.” Jongdae turned Minseok’s hand, touching lightly on the centre of the palm. “Close your eyes and focus on your hand, in the place I’m touching.” Minseok did as instructed, trying to ignore the tickling sensation that Jongdae’s touch left on his palm. “Good, now think of the cold of a snowflake. Imagine it in your mind. Its beauty, grace, and chill…”

He tried his best to do it. Tracing in his mind the drawing of a simple snowflake, its glow under the light and the beauty in its patterns, but also how fragile it was. A true beauty that would fade the moment the cold left.

“Done?” Minseok nodded. “Keep that image, but search in your mind for something that makes you feel what you feel when you see that snowflake.”

That was the question. He felt almost affection for his creation, something so small and so gentle, but that was an emotion that he did not remember feeling. The last time someone even held him was probably when he was a little kid and his mother was still in his life. Before his father took him on one of his trips just to sell him as entertainment for the rich. The anger he felt, the loneliness, and the pain...those were ugly emotions, nothing that could compare to his snowflake.

His snowflake was beauty and grace in a form held together by the bitterness of ice… _ Like his eyes when I first saw him, _ he understood. Beautiful golden eyes staring at him with the cold of a storm just to fall to the ground a second later. Minseok may have denied it, but he felt something every time he saw the boy unconscious because of him. It was a very strange mix of emotions that he could not describe, but there was something strong enough to make him come back every day, and that was still pulling him to the youngest. Maybe it was because he was thankful and a bit impressed by him, or how his heart felt a bit warmer every time Jongdae smiled at him. 

But he liked it. It was not a bad emotion, more like the first snow of the year. Something slow that came unexpectedly, and you didn’t know if it meant the start of the snow season, but at the same time, something fun to watch and play in before the storm. 

Were his feelings also the possible beginnings of a storm? 

“Minseok, open your eyes,” Jongdae said. Minseok obeyed and found a perfect snowflake standing in the palm of his hand. “You did it!”

“How?”

“I told you, feelings are the secret, and that was just a basic trick. You will need much more training to do more than that.”

“I mean, how did you know this trick?”

“Hm…My father.” He murmured. “He believed in us, in the Reset actually. When he knew I was one, he decided to study me.” Minseok arched an eyebrow. “Not like that, he just watched me to understand how my power responded to things.”

“And where is he now? From what I understand, there are only twelve of us here.”

Jongdae looked away. “Dead.”

Minseok nodded, knowing not to press the subject.

“Did you already meet everyone?” The youngest asked with a smile, obviously trying to change the subject.

“Yes, I didn’t talk to everyone, but I already met them.”

“Don’t let them scare you. They are good people; you should try to talk to them tomorrow at lunch!”

Minseok did try to do what the youngest suggested in the following days of that week. It was hard not to when Jongdae made it his mission to interrogate Minseok about his day when he went to visit. Always asking which member he had lunch with and if he had gotten better with his power. Minseok did it to amuse Jongdae, but he was surprised when he actually did like the others.

Chanyeol was still a sore spot. Their powers reacted too much to each other, but Minseok didn’t find him to be a bad guy. Neither of them were.

Kyungsoo and Luhan were his favourite partners for lunch. Not too loud or touchy, and they were fun to hang out with even out of the dinning area. They even got to have some drinks after three days of having lunch together – Jongdae tried to hug him when he found out – and Minseok trusted them enough to tell them about his power and trade some stories. They weren’t that different after all: Kyungsoo told him all about his tricks and how his parents were killed when he first used his power unknowingly, and Luhan may not have shared much but Minseok got the idea after he said with a smirk, “Everyone wants to own something beautiful, but they never expect it to bite.”

Therefore, lunchtime and drinking time became things he looked forward to after visiting Jongdae in the infirmary, until an overexcited Chanyeol and a pouting Jongin decided to join them and ask their precious Kyungsoo for attention. Sometimes, a bitching Sehun and a whining Tao would replace Chanyeol and Jongin.

Usually, the arrival of those two pairs of overgrown babies was Minseok’s cue to leave before noise and hands came to join them. He figured the pattern out by the third day and followed it happily. Thus, he never expected to have a pair of hands on his shoulders, keeping him in his place as said babies came to their table. 

“Hyung!” a familiar voice sang while a chin rested on his head. “Guess who just got permission to get out of bed?”

“I will take a wild guess…you?”

“Yep.” Jongdae took a seat to his right shifting his gaze to the others at the table. “Good to see that you weren’t lying about socializing.”

“He usually just does the listening. We need to give him a bit of alcohol to get him to open his mouth,” Luhan said with a smirk, successfully ignoring the bitching of the two boys who were trying to use him as a judge.

“You cannot be like that!” Jongdae whined, making Minseok question why he let the boy get close.

“This is getting way too noisy for me…”

“Kim fucking Jongdae!” a voice screamed.

“Now that’s it. He is my limit…” Minseok said, knowing very well who the owner of that voice was.

“Don’t you disappear like that! You heard what Yixing said. You may still have moments of weakness. Imagine if you fell and hit your head!”

“Sorry Baekhyunnie, I just got excited to see hyung socializing!”

That was one of the reasons Minseok always felt like freezing the small, white-haired boy. Ever since Jongdae woke up, Baekhyun was never away for too long. When Minseok got to Jongdae’s room, Baekhyun was there, and when Minseok left, Baekhyun was already at the door, waiting with a smile to get in and lay with his Dae-Dae. That woke something very ugly inside of Minseok.

“Still, your dear hyung wouldn’t want you hurt!” The boy said taking a place at Minseok’s left. That only made the whines continue and the other narrow his eyes.

“Seems like you got your own pair of babies now.” Yixing laughed, taking a seat at their table.

“Fuck no,” Minseok growled with a sour expression.

“Don’t be like that. Dae-dae will want to be with you because gods know why and we are a package deal. I’m the light to his thunder, so congratulations! Now we are besties!” Baekhyun said, trying to hug Minseok only to be stopped by an icy glare.

“Not even when hell freezes, and don’t touch me!” Minseok pressed his lips together, trying not to scream at the boy.

“Come on. Why don’t you hug me?” Baekhyun pouted, still trying.

“Baek…” Jongdae started, noticing the ice on Minseok’s chair.

“Don’t!” Minseok got up and made a barrier of ice spears between him and Baekhyun.

“Hyung!” Jongdae screamed, getting up to check on his friend. “Are you okay, Baek?”

Minseok didn’t say a thing, fleeing the dining area and leaving the nine boys with their shock. He needed a moment to himself.  
  


🌐⚡ ️ ❄ ️ 🌐  
  


_ “Hyun, where is Xiumin?” Chen asked, making his way to his friend. _

_ “We…in surgery.” _

_ “What? Why?” _

_ “Some protesters attacked us. He got shot and…it’s pretty bad,” Baekhyun said, looking at him with puppy eyes. “A bullet got way too close to his heart. They don’t know if the doctor can take it without killing him…I’m so sorry…” _

_ “You promised he would be safe! That you would protect him until he knew what his power is and how to use it!” _

_ “I tried, okay? He chose to take the bullets for us! He is one of my best friends, Chen. Do you think I didn’t fucking try to protect him?!” _

_ “It was not good enough.” _

_ Chen left him there, unable to stand the sight of Baekhyun’s bloody clothes. Was that his lover’s blood? Probably…  _

_ At that moment, he made up his mind, marching to Suho’s office with the confidence of a soldier but the soul of a wounded animal just to be greeted by many familiar faces. Some were other Gifted, and the rest were scientists and politicians. _

_ “Chen, I heard what happened…” _

_ “Can you do it?” He asked, looking around the room. “Even if he is hurt, can we do the Reset?” _

_ “I…” _

_ “Yes,” a scientist answered. “He is alive. That is the only thing that matters, and he already said yes.” _

_ “You were the one missing…” Suho said with a sigh, “But you wouldn’t ma-“ _

_ “Yes,” Chen said. “My answer is yes…let’s do it, before I lose him.” _

_ Suho laid back on his chair, looking at his friend’s boyfriend. A truly horrible image. That boy had been the only one in their experiment who still saw the Reset as a backup plan, something that didn’t have to happen ever because humanity would prove itself until the D-Day. _

_ Always with hope and love in his eyes. A kind soul that now stood broken in front of him because humanity had just taken his heart from him because of fear.  _

_ He closed his eyes for a moment. What a bitter restart that would be. A new world born from the tears and cries of a broken heart. Would it even stand a chance to actually be a good world when those were the roots? _

  
🌐⚡ ️ ❄ ️ 🌐

  
“Are you stupid?” Jongdae asked, hitting his friend lightly on the head.

“What did I do now?”

“He was in a cage, Byun. Do you think he was there because he is into some kinky shit?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I…forgot about that. He always seems so normal.”

“Don’t we all?” Tao asked with a half-smile before rolling his eyes.

“I need to apologize,” he whispered.

“Yes, you do. But right now, it is better if just Jongdae goes. We can’t have any peak of energy here so close to the Reset. The military would be here in a few hours…” Yixing reminded them.

“I will go to him.”

“Have fun charming that grumpy old thing.”

“You are older, Luhan, so shut up,” Jongdae laughed, leaving them to go find Minseok.

Finding Minseok was the easy part. He knew Minseok’s habits by heart, and Minseok really didn’t know much of the places in the headquarters, so Jongdae made his way to the roof, or what some may call the ground floor, knowing Minseok would probably be there just looking at the barrier of rocks like a prisoner.

And there he was, walking from side to side, lower lip between his teeth and hands pulling his hair back. That confused Jongdae. Minseok didn’t look angry like he was expecting. Jongdae thought he looked more nervous or afraid.

“Hyung, is everything okay?” he asked, slowly making his way to the other.

“I’m sorry,” Minseok sighed, cleaning his palms on his jeans. “I hope I didn’t hurt him; he is your friend.” 

“Baek was an idiot. He should know better than anyone that scars don’t heal in a few weeks.”

Minseok tilted his head, looking at him. “Why?”

“He was the first to go looking for the others. He was there when everyone was found.”

“I thought you were the first he found?”

“I was, then we found Junmyeon, Yixing, and Yifan. Soon after, Jongin came along with Luhan. Years later, we found Tao, and he took us to Sehun.”

“And Kyungsoo and Chanyeol were the last before me.” That much Minseok knew from Kyungsoo. “Could you tell me,” he hesitated. “How did you meet everyone?”

“It’s a long story, Minseok.”  _ And a hard one _ , Jongdae thought.

Their stories were not happy. Most of them knew nothing but pain before getting together and even then, in the first few months, waking up to screams in the middle of the night was the norm. He did not want to reopen wounds for Minseok because he knew that none of their wounds had healed. They just got better at pretending. Even Jongdae felt sad sometimes, especially on birthdays, and it took him days to get better.

“I’m tired of feeling like the underdog and the victim in here when there may be a chance that knowing will make me feel a bit more in place.”

“Okay. Should I start with me and go by order?”

“Yes, please,” he said, gesturing for them to take a seat on the ground.

“So, I already told you some things. My family believed in the Reset. We were happy even if we lived like runaways, but one day, I ran away after arguing with my father. You may think that that is a normal thing, but I was a hormonal teen with a superpower…I made a thunderstorm a few kilometres away without us knowing, and when I came back,” Jongdae wrapped his arms around his legs stopping for a moment while he gazed at nothing, “our house was destroyed. My brother’s body was outside. They shot him in the back like an animal.” He closed his eyes, grabbing his jeans to try to stop his hands from trembling. “They killed my mother with a shot to the head, but they left my father half-dead after torturing him. He told me to be a fighter and make things right again…”

Minseok froze with that image, eyes wide open and eyebrows raised. He would never understand that type of pain, the pain of losing someone you love and who loved you back, but he couldn’t imagine anything worse.

“I’m sorry, Dae…”

“Baekhyun found me that night, you know? His mentor was also a believer and an ex-policeman, so he taught Baekhyun how to hack on their network and communications. He heard about my family and came looking for me. Believe it or not, he was a light in the darkness for me. I was ready to give up, but he convinced me to go with him and that’s how I ended up here and why we are so close. We spent months by ourselves here. I learned how he hated the silence and he noticed how I had nightmares at night. That is why he always said we are lightning and thunder – I became loud for him and he became my light in the dark.”

Jongdae gave him a small and weak smile. Minseok didn’t like that smile on him, so he gently took Jongdae’s hand and kissed it without looking at the other. Somehow, Jongdae understood and continued with his story.

“The trio came by mistake. Baekhyun heard something about three runaway teens who were spotted around our area, so I decided to take a look to see if the police were also around. Instead, I was attacked by water and a flying giant and got them electrocuted in the process. Luckily for them, Yixing was there.” He squeezed Minseok's hand a bit and laughed. “After that, it was easy to bring them here, and they told us their story. Junmyeon was the son of two scientists who used him in tests to find out the origin of his power, and Yixing and Yifan were sold as toddlers to the same program. When Junmyeon found out at thirteen, they made a plan and ran away. They were already seventeen when we found them.”

“You really did grow up together.”

“Yes, we did.” Jongdae smiled, lifting his chin. “After that, Jongin and Luhan just showed up. One night, we were having dinner and playing some board games, and Jongin appeared in our living room crying with Luhan bleeding out on his back. That was proof enough of his power so Yixing just treated Luhan while he questioned Jongin. He told us he was an agent by the name of Kai and that his mission was to track and kill all Gifted.” He paused at the sound of Minseok’s shock.

“Wait, if Junmyeon, Yixing, and Yifan were seventeen, you and Baek were sixteen…How old was Jongin?”

“He was a baby… Just fourteen. They were using him to kill his own kind, a very cruel thing because he didn’t even understand what he was fighting for. But his age was a good thing. He was starting to ask questions that no one wanted to answer, so he kept our position a secret from them and then looked for his first tracker, Luhan.” Jongdae looked into Minseok's eyes, taking the chance to pull himself a bit closer. “Luckily for Luhan, the boy came right when his,” he hesitated, “owner had tried to kill him for fighting back. Jongin, being a child, did the only thing he could think of and brought him to us. A good thing too because the boy spilled his guts out when he saw Luhan’s blood on him. He would have been a terrible assassin.” They laughed and Minseok looked down, slowly playing with Jongdae’s fingers.

“He had it hard, didn’t he?” Jongdae furrowed his brow. “Luhan.” Minseok added.

“Yes, I think he did, but he never really talks about it.”

“I think I also wouldn’t want to talk about it in his place.” Minseok sighed. “Tell me about Tao and Sehun.”

“They came after Jongin’s eighteenth birthday. Because of his birthday, we tried to be normal for two weeks and we went to spend some time in the mountains, you know, camping, fishing…hanging out with our chosen family because the baby just became a man. And we were having fun until a windstorm came. We locked ourselves in our cabin, but a few minutes later, someone knocked on our door. Yifan decided to open it because, and I quote, “If necessary, we can kill them at least three different ways before they have a chance to call the police.” But when he opened the door, let’s say no one saw a scared and crying Tao as a threat. After all, we soon found out he was a kid just like Jongin, and you’ve met Tao. He is a scaredy-cat with a good heart. Five minutes in and we knew he was one of us because he kept asking us to go save some kid that he saw in the eye of the storm. We decided to give him some hints, we talked and boom! He was one of us, and he thought that the kid was too. So we went there when the storm ended, and he found a half-dead Sehun. He had a blackout after seeing the police take his mother in and his power took over…”

Minseok nodded, making sure Jongdae knew he was listening even if his eyes were on their connected hands.

“We only found Chanyeol and Kyungsoo a few months back. We heard about a kid with red hair in a town not too far away from here. Jongin went to check out the rumours only to find out about some incidents with fire and the kid, who turned out to be Chanyeol. We made the decision and sent Jongin with Baekhyun to bring him, but when they were at his house, they found out that he didn’t know about his powers because his parents had protected him. They even adopted Kyungsoo into their family because they knew he was also a Gifted. Things would have been difficult if it wasn’t for his mother. She told him to go and take Kyungsoo with him because they would be safer with us. Chanyeol had a really good, normal life, but Kyungsoo wasn’t the same. From what I know, he killed his parents when he was a toddler because of his power and spent some time switching between families and trying to hide his power until Chanyeol’s parents came along. They got him to open up a bit and when he met Jongin, he felt at ease. After all, if he ever goes out of control, Jongin can just get him to an empty field and leave.”

“What a mess of a group…” Minseok snorted.

“I guess we kind of are.” Jongdae nodded, slowly caressing Minseok’s cheek with his free hand. “But I’m missing one story.”

“I’m not telling you everything,” Minseok affirmed, eyes fixed on Jongdae’s. “You would give me pity if I told you everything.” He stopped Jongdae’s hand, bringing it to his lips.

“I’ll take anything…”

“When I was little, everything was pretty normal. I had a house, clothes, food on the table, and both parents. My mother loved me more than anything...or so I thought, I guess. I don’t really remember much of her, but I remember being taken care of and being loved.” Minseok whispered, pressing another soft kiss on Jongdae’s hand before looking down. “Things went sour after my power came. My father took me with him to the market one day, and he told me we would find a pretty flower for my mother. Instead he sold me as cattle in the black market. I was seven at the time, I think. I will spare us the details but at first, I was sold to rich men who wanted a nice party trick but you see, I never learned how to control my powers. Some of them got hurt and I was labelled as a ‘dangerous freak’ that they wanted to break but,” He looked up, meeting Jongdae’s watering eyes. “I can assure you that no one ever tried to touch me if it wasn’t to beat me into submission.”

Jongdae stood quietly, shining eyes fighting to hold back tears, but his eyes were narrowed and lips parted. He freed one of his hands to wipe away a few tears that had fallen. 

“Jongdae? Why are you crying? You already knew it was a bad story…”

“I don’t know Min…I-” Jongdae paused before diving into Minseok’s arms, hands gripping the back of Minseok’s shirt while he hid his face in the curve of Minseok’s neck. 

“Hey, easy Jongdae,” Minseok whispered. “Look, I’m fine now.”

“I don’t know what is happening, Minseok. I got so sad at the thought of someone hurting you and then the relief was just,” He tried finding the right word before looking Minseok in the eyes. “overwhelming.”

Minseok tilted his head, but Jongdae really couldn’t explain the feeling he had in his chest. The agony he felt with the image of someone hurting Minseok, the relief of knowing no one really touched him in other ways like they tried with Luhan. But it was not just that. The anger that was burning in him, it scared him how much his power wanted to take over and burn those men to ashes, the low growling in his mind that told him to protect what was his from the evilness in the world. However, Minseok wasn’t his, so why did he feel like that? Why did his body want to be pressed a bit closer to the other like Minseok was a missing piece he didn’t know he had?

“I really can’t explain it, but I’m just so happy that you are here now. No one will ever hurt you again.” Jongdae promised, more to himself than to Minseok.

“I know, dear,” Minseok smiled, holding him tight. “If it helps, I’m also confused…”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I still don’t trust everyone, I don’t believe in the Reset, and I don’t see this place as my home,” he explained. “But you make me feel so at ease, like I finally got to the place I was meant to be and even when I want to get away and be logical about this,” he gestured at them “I can’t because I find myself being pulled again. I tried not to visit you during the first few days. I really tried, but I always found myself in front of your door with a strange feeling of longing. Something in me wanted to see you, touch you…”

Minseok pulled away from their hug, eyes drifting from Jongdae’s eyes to his parted kitty lips before looking at his eyes again, making sure Jongdae had followed his gaze. The younger didn’t pull away or even move a muscle so Minseok leaned in, taking Jongdae’s lips in a rough kiss. They pressed harshly against one another, Minseok grabbing the back of Jongdae’s neck in a possessive manner while Jongdae gripped at Minseok’s shoulders, not wanting them to part. 

Neither could explain it, but they felt it. The longing, the hunger, the passion, the sadness, and more that they felt in their kiss yet neither wanted to admit it so soon. 

They broke their kiss after a few moments but didn’t let go. Minseok’s lips made their way to Jongdae’s neck and the small sounds that came from Jongdae made Minseok tighten his hold, wanting to hear – to see – more of the other, taking Jongdae for himself.

Little did they know that worried eyes were watching them from afar.

“Yifan…”

“It was inevitable, wasn’t it, Baekhyun? I’m not Junmyeon; be honest with me. They were always meant to fall, weren’t they?” Yifan whispered, turning his back to give Minseok and Jongdae some privacy.

Baekhyun hesitated, before giving Yifan an intense look that Yifan couldn’t decipher. “Yes. They were.”

“And why didn't you tell us?” Yifan asked, narrowing his eyes. 

“I didn’t know. When my mentor felt the Cube, he told me we would all have triggers.” Yifan raised an eyebrow. “Moments that would break our hope, he meant. He never told me all of them, but he did mention a couple in previous Resets. Soulmates in a way…” Baekhyun gave him a small, tight-lipped smile, eyes then shifting to the sky while he hugged himself. “whose hope would only break with the loss of the other.”

“Do you mean…?” Yifan hesitated, not wanting to have to say those words. He may not have known Minseok for long, but Jongdae was family and from what he saw, they were already a part of each other.

“I fucking hope not, Yifan.”

🌐⚡ ️ ❄ ️ 🌐

_ Xiumin never woke up. _

_ Chen didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to his lover in that life. _

_ But that wasn’t the last time they had a bad ending. _

_ Life had a twisted sense of humour but so did the Cube. The legends, as they were originally called, walked the earth together at least once every two hundred years. Every time the last of them died, they were all reborn into new lives but were still the same people, the same souls, and the same hearts. _

_ There were lives in which they never met, always longing for something they could never find, not in the money or in the people around them. In those they became successful, rich men who rarely slept alone and were just too good at hiding their powers. Those were the usual lives. _

_ In others, they became each other's poison, fighting and destroying each other in a way only their half could. The line between love and hate became thin in those lives. They did love each other in a sick way, in which they wanted to own or break the other. Those were rare, occurring three or four times, but in them, they always got to die in the other’s arms. Those weren’t the worst.  _

_ The worst were those in which they met. They actually tried only to be separated by life, by a lost cause, another - an older - lover from that life or another Reset.  _

_ The lives they did spend as lovers were rare, but that was nothing but the untold truth of soulmates: they weren’t always meant to end up together. Some soulmates were lost because the world needed change. _

_ In a way, they lived by each other's side several times. Just not happy lives, because the sound of their hearts breaking – of hope breaking – was one of the signs that a Reset would happen in that life. _

_ Because the Reset was just that. Desperate souls foolishly struggling to keep what they loved the most with them without understanding the price. _

_ The Reset didn’t change anything. _

_ People did. They did.  _

_ But they always fell into old habits instead of making new roads.  
  
_ 🌐⚡ ️ ❄ ️ 🌐  
  


The days passed, and with a couple of days until the Reset, Yifan started to wonder if he should have done something to stop what he saw every day.

The stolen kisses, the hidden touches, the growing love with which the couple looked at each other. Maybe he should have stopped it by sending Jongdae with Jongin for some faraway mission before those feelings grew roots in their hearts. 

But he didn’t. No one did. They just stood, watching, plotting, and waiting for the disaster while Luhan and Kyungsoo did their best to convince Minseok - unsuccessfully - to accept the Reset while Baekhyun and Junmyeon reminded Jongdae of the vows of making the Reset happen. Maybe they were being selfish, but they had their reasons. They didn’t want to break them and to avoid that, they would have to make them both agree to the Reset, which was proving to be a very difficult task. 

“Come on Min, we have a fucked-up world, the Reset would be the best!” Luhan argued, trying not to raise his voice and wake up the sleeping boy lying on Minseok’s chest. 

“No, it wouldn’t! We already had two, if I’m not mistaken, and nothing has changed. Why do you think another one would make a difference?” Minseok asked, looking at this friend on the other sofa.

“Because he wouldn’t be hunted like an animal, maybe?”

“If we don’t use your powers, they can’t track us! We can have normal lives!” Minseok said, rolling his eyes.

“Can you two stop? I’m having a headache,” Kyungsoo sighed.

“But Kyung-” Luhan tried only to stop when Kyungsoo raised his hand.

“Enough, he is not changing his mind. Let him be. He is the one who has to tell Jongdae.”

Minseok stopped petting Jongdae’s hair, looking at Kyungsoo with narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw. “What the fuck does he have to do with this?”

“Everything. Did you forget he is also a Gifted?” Kyungsoo calmly asked, raising his eyebrow, “The son of believers who grew up on tales of how good the Reset would be for everyone, and now he would have to know that his dear,” he hesitated. “whatever you are to him won’t let it happen when we are literally two days away from doing it. Good luck with that.”

He left before Minseok could answer him, and Luhan quickly followed, leaving the couple to themselves and Minseok to his own thoughts. 

_Does Jongdae really want the Reset?_ he wondered, knuckles softly running down Jongdae’s cheek. Would he be willing to change his position for Jongdae? _Did he even understand what that meant?_ _The price that it requires. He obviously will not want it._

He felt so tired of his life, but he had Jongdae now. He woke up to kisses and always had Jongdae safely in his arms before falling asleep. A restart sounded like a curse, a joke where they gave him peace just to take it away not even a month after. 

Jongdae stretched his legs, hugging Minseok’s chest and rubbing his cheek on it before opening his eyes with a smile.

“Hyung, you are getting colder. Is everything okay?”

“Hm, yes. I’m sorry, try to sleep a bit more,” Minseok said, putting a hand behind his own neck to scratch it.

“You are lying, dear. Tell me.”

“Do you want to do the Reset?”

Jongdae thought for a moment before turning so his chin rested on Minseok's chest, eyes focused on Minseok’s. “Yes.”

“Why?” Minseok asked before he had a chance to stop himself, surprised with the confirmation.

“Because I…” Jongdae stopped, looking to the side. “I want us to have a better world. One where we can have our own life without fearing anything.”

“We can do that here, in this world, where we already found each other!”

“For how long, Min? How long before someone sees us doing something not normal? You have scars all over your body, nightmares every other night…and I can’t even get angry without getting those freaky golden eyes and screwing up all of our electronic devices.”

“I can wear a shirt, the nightmares will disappear, and we can get you some anger control classes and contacts if necessary. We can even live without electricity!”

“Doing what? We both have zero education!” Jongdae reasoned, lifting himself from Minseok’s chest.

“We would find a way!” Minseok argued, voice growing louder.

“I get you, Min, I really do, but this is the way. We will be able to do everything!”

“How? Tell me, Jongdae, how? We may never even meet again!”

“I know we will. We will always find each other…” Jongdae vowed, caressing Minseok’s face before Minseok lifted himself from the sofa and pushed Jongdae away.

“No, this isn’t a fucking movie or some romance. Life doesn't work like that, okay? So don’t be fucking naïve.” Minseok licked his lips while pulling his hair back. “Nothing in this universe should be done over. We love, we live, we lose. You regret something? Then you get your ass up and fight to make it right because a miracle isn’t coming. Sometimes, bad things are just a sign to make a move, but for some reason, you all really want to just erase everything and do it again. Evil, hunger for power, and all the other bad things in the world won’t disappear,” he sighed, closing his eyes. “People will do it again. They already did, but let me ask one thing: even if it did fix everything, would it be worth losing all of your memories of a family…of me?”

Jongdae didn’t respond, still trying to understand what Minseok was saying.

“Take your time, dear. I will go for a run or something around the building.”

He watched Minseok leave, trying to focus on his thoughts. He could see Minseok’s side and admitted that Minseok had a very good point. All the bad things would still have a chance to reappear. There wasn’t good without bad, and even the bad brought good things. The cruelty of the people brought him Minseok after all. Even the Reset and his power came from the bad. 

So the question still stood in his mind: was he ready to lose Minseok?

Not even close, but everything about them was so fast and strong. It made his head hurt. Their first kiss was also their first time, their confession nothing but words of possession. So were they something good or the result of a strange attraction? Jongdae didn’t know. For some time he even thought that maybe Minseok was only interested in him because he was Minseok’s savior. Were they, a spark of a moment, more important than his beliefs of a lifetime and the lives of everyone else?

He hugged his legs, head resting in his knees and eyes closed.

“I don’t know,” he whispered to himself.  
  


🌐⚡ ️ ❄ ️ 🌐  
  


Neither did Minseok. 

His head was a true mess of thoughts, but his question was still the same: what should he do?

He wanted Jongdae, but not the Reset. He didn’t trust it, but part of him understood.

“Minseok, can I talk to you?” Yixing asked.

“I guess. What do you want?”

“Just to talk. I found Jongdae crying, so I’m guessing you two fought.” Minseok tried to ignore the sting that image left in his heart.

“Something like that.”

“You shouldn’t. The Reset is way too close to lose time with whom we love.”

“I’m fucking tired of hearing about that!” Minseok hissed.

“No. Stop and be honest with yourself. Is this life good? Would you ever get to give Jongdae the best life possible in this life?”

“I could fucking try! I’m not even sure I will find him again,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“We are all destined to meet again. That is certain, Minseok. All of our souls are connected, yours and Jongdae’s especially. He is not betraying you by wanting the Reset. He is thinking about you two. About having a normal life with you!”

“How do you know that?” Minseok accused, and Yixing gave him a serene smile.

“Jongdae told me all about the life he dreams of having with you. A normal meeting without a cage involved, cute first dates, dancing around each other before going for the gold…everything you didn’t have the time to have in this life,” Yixing sighed, crossing his arms and eyes fixed on Minseok’s. “You two fell too fast because your souls missed one another. This time, you two are spending together by being enough to make them at ease before another life. That may give you time.”

Minseok decided to stay silent, taking the healer’s words in his mind.

He also wanted all those things, having the time to fall in love with Jongdae before the want overtakes him would be nice, but at the same time, he was falling in love anyway. Time was a luxury that didn’t matter to love.

But Yixing was right about one thing. Their time was short anyway, with or without a successful Reset. After the next day, things would change. Even if the Reset was unsuccessful, they needed to use their powers to wake up the Cube for the Reset. That would alert everyone to exactly where they are. Spending this time arguing was meaningless.

“Where is he?”

“Your room, I think. Baekhyun is with him,” Yixing remarked, smiling.

“Great…” Minseok mumbled. 

Knowing that Baekhyun was with Jongdae made him want to put his ego aside. He didn’t hate him or anything. It was more like his competitive side woke every time his lover’s best friend came into the picture, and knowing that Baekhyun was probably holding his crying Jongdae wasn’t something he liked. 

He made his way to their room, silently opening the door so they wouldn’t notice before perceiving the darkness and silence within the room. It was completely empty apart from Jongdae lying asleep in the middle of their bed, face buried in Minseok’s pillow. That made him smile, gently taking a seat next to him on bed. 

These were the moments where Minseok understood just how precious Jongdae was. Even after an argument, Jongdae still looked for comfort in his smell like Minseok wasn’t the reason why Jongdae’s cheeks were still wet and eyes puffy. 

Noticing Jongdae’s exposed shoulder, he filled that space with small kisses that found their way to Jongdae’s cheek, only to stop at the sound of Jongdae’s voice.

“Min?”

“Yes, dear,” Minseok acknowledged. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have wasted time and started a fight.”

“I’m sorry, too, Min. We should have talked about this before.”

“No, let’s not do it. Let’s spend these last hours together without fighting, and when the time comes, we will make our decision and work with the results.”

“Even if it means we have to wait several years to meet again?” Jongdae whispered, arms circling Minseok’s neck.

“Especially if we have to wait so long,” Minseok confirmed, tracing Jongdae’s lips with his thumb. “I want happy memories so my soul can wait for you in peace. Can we have that?”

“Yes, we can,” Jongdae smiled before pulling him in for a kiss.

They spent the next few hours in each other’s arms, not arguing or talking. No one else in the headquarters wanted to talk either, but they also didn’t want to be alone. Most of the next day was spent just like that, all of them in the living room reading, playing chess, or watching television in complete silence. Everyone was trying to make themselves ready for what was about to come. After all, it was their last day on earth if everything went well.

Jongdae found his peace in that. The world was ending, and they chose to be together in their last moments, even if most of them also wanted to grieve one last time for everyone they lost and were about to lose. There wasn’t any other way he would choose to spend his last hours. There was something sweet in seeing all of his friends around him and having Minseok by his side, silently leaning on him while reading his book.

Maybe that was why he felt sadness when Yifan announced that it was time to go down to the Cube, but he did it, holding Minseok's hand while they followed their leaders to the last floor on the building where a big, black Cube stood. Cables on top connected it to all types of machines. The Cube itself was somewhat intimidating as it stood proudly in the centre and almost touched the ceiling, but everything in the room made Jongdae tremble. It was too white, too full, and at the same time, too empty. There was only light around the Cube and nothing else, not even a speck of dust, just the noise of some machines and an irregular, red light emanating from the Cube that was barely noticeable. 

“Look for the symbol of your power on the sides of the Cube and place your hand on it. I will be the last to take my place because I will be turning the machines on. Don’t worry and be honest when the Cube starts to test your beliefs,” Baekhyun told them with a firm tone, “I can’t tell you how it will test it because I don’t know, but I’m not expecting something easy. So if anyone has anything to say,” he paused, looking at everyone, “do it now.”

“I’m grateful,” Yixing said, smiling, “for everything. Good or bad, we are a family. The only one most of us had.” They all traded glances, nodding.

“I guess I’m grateful, too,” Minseok murmured, catching everyone’s attention. “I may not know you all very well and I still don’t see you as my family, but you saved me and took care of me, so thank you.”

They stood in silence for a while before Baekhyun spoke again. “If no one has anything else to say, then let’s do it. Take your places.”

Minseok watched them all look for their places and then turned to Jongdae. He took Jongdae’s face between his hands and kissed him tenderly before letting him go.

“See you, darling,” he whispered just to him.

“See you soon, hyung.”

They went to opposite sides of the Cube, carefully pressing their hands against their symbol. Jongdae didn’t really understand what happened after he pressed his hand on to the cold surface of the Cube. He knew he heard Baekhyun say something, saw something flash, and thought he heard a crack from a lamp, but everything faded after that.

Pure blackness around him and an echoing silence. 

His hands reached for the floor, trying to find out if it was stable enough for him to walk on. It was, so he got up and took a few steps before noticing a golden glow coming from a few meters away.

_ A door?  _ he wondered when he got close enough to see its form, but there was some other silhouette there. A human shadow stood against the door impatiently.

“Are you coming, or do I need to pull you?” the shadow asked, making Jongdae take a step back to the sound of that voice. That was his voice. “Come on. We don’t have all day.”

“Who are you?” Jongdae questioned, forcing himself to go closer to the door. It wasn’t a shadow but a mirror image of himself, wearing strange clothes and with blond hair instead of jet black curls like him.

“I’m Chen, or in a way, I’m you,” the other calmly explained, “A past you actually. I’m your first life, from before the first Reset.”

“You are my test?” That made Chen laugh.

“No, dear, there isn’t any test. I’m just going to take you on a trip to memory lane while the Reset takes place. It’s not like you all have any real control over it.” He smirked with a shine of mischief in his eyes, like he knew some joke Jongdae didn’t. “Ready?”

Jongdae didn’t answer, deciding to just open the door and follow his past self, but what he saw wasn’t what he expected. He was met with a gorgeous view of his birthplace, where instead of broken buildings and silent streets, there were now new buildings and children playing freely in the streets. Clearly, they were from some type of viewpoint, because he could easily see the whole city, especially the avenue and the park.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Chen asked, “I was also born here. Funny how even in the first, it wasn’t this pretty.” He laughed, resting his elbows on the balustrade.

“Is…” Jongdae stopped, eyes wide with shock. “Is this the peaceful world?”

“More like a possibility. You see, the Reset is more like a do-over in a game. Yes, you have another try, but the win isn’t a guarantee.” Chen told him, eyes lost in the movements of the avenue. Jongdae wasn’t certain, but he could almost see traces of sadness in Chen’s eyes.

“Did you regret it?”

“I’m a memory and a guide. Ask that later.”

He nodded, not wanting to piss off someone who was guiding him. Instead, he followed Chen’s gaze, noticing how everyone looked so happy and at ease. No stealing, no crying over lost lives in a crazy war, nothing. Just smiles and laughter. He looked around them. Some people were passing right by them, and no one was eyeing each other with suspicion or hatred. This was a better life. He couldn’t find anything wrong until he noticed the faces. Some were so familiar to him. There was a group of boys eating at a separate table in the park, another one resting on a tree branch not too far away, and under that tree, there was another one reading a book. 

“Kyungsoo, Luhan, Chanyeol, and Junmyeon. I think those are their names in your life,” Chen murmured, looking at him with an unreadable expression.

“I-” Jongdae tried but lost his words, heart hurting when he saw Yixing walk straight past Yifan without blinking on the avenue. Sehun and Tao were right by their side, seated with different groups of people.

“You are forgetting already. You didn’t even notice when Baekhyun and Jongin walked by us a few moments ago,” Chen sighed. 

“Someone is missing…” Jongdae whispered. “I can’t remember. Who is missing?”

His head was a mess. He tried closing his eyes, he tried to remember, to pick up anything from his life, but with every passing moment, he could feel everything being taken from him. Every memory he could even think about was instantly erased, and that was making him dizzy. Jongdae knew he was missing someone; he knew they were twelve and he repeated those two facts like they were a mantra. 

“Open your eyes, Jongdae. You need to watch,” Chen ordered, forcing him to slowly open his eyes.

They were in a different place. A big ballroom, decorated with gold and silk, something he had only read about in books. Around him, everyone was wearing perfect dresses and suits, dancing and holding their champagne while happily talking with others. But Jongdae's gaze was frozen on only one person.

Minseok. Not exactly his Minseok; this one had breathtaking blue eyes and had dressed in a very exposing and handsome suit that made him look even more expensive than the accessories he was wearing on his fingers, neck, and ears. But he was still a Minseok.

Chen just watched as Jongdae made his way to Minseok, obviously looking for some comfort. It was very painful, even for him, to see Minseok pass by Jongdae just to approach a pretty and handsome young man standing in the crowd. 

“Before you ask, this is not the future. This is a memory.”

“One of yours?” Jongdae asked, trying to ignore the knot in his throat.

“No, one of the many in which we just passed by each other because we were from different worlds. We were employers in this life, kind of like a Cinderella story gone wrong,” Chen said, looking at Jongdae. “But it is for the best, isn’t it? I always told myself that when I was being tested.”

“You said there wasn’t a test.”

“I lied. Just like I did when I told myself that. I was just being selfish. The Reset was Xiumin’s – your Minseok’s – dream. I wanted it because someone put it on his deathbed, and I wanted more time.” He laughed mirthlessly. “But we always want more time, and in the game of life and death, we are just players. This circle of resetting and doing it all again is just the price we pay for our stupidity. Way too many lives of misery before being tested again.” Chen looked at him with a small smile. “So, are you ready to pay the price again?”

“It is for a better world…” Jongdae looked down at his own hands gripping his jeans. “But why do I have to pay the price?”

“Don’t be naïve. You are not the only one. We are one of the lucky ones, actually, because we fell during our first lives. Those feelings were engraved on our souls. Baekhyun and Chanyeol fell in many lives just to always forget each other, Yixing and Junmyeon were also lovers in many lives…Kyungsoo had a family in his first life, Yifan was a father, and Luhan had a fiancé that he didn’t put on the program because her body couldn’t accept the chemicals. They all are looking for something, even Jongin, Sehun and Tao. They also had someone dear to them. People they will probably never meet again because we keep pushing the restart button.”

“I don’t want to do it…” Jongdae whispered. “I didn’t know we would have to live lives without each other. I don’t want it!” he cried, hands covering his face.

Chen smiled, watching as the lightning covered Jongdae’s body. “Good choice, kid,” he whispered to himself before disappearing.  
  


🌐⚡ ️ ❄ ️ 🌐  
  


Minseok was awakened from his test by Jongdae’s scream.

Waking up was confusing by itself. Everything was lit up by the Cube’s glow, and most of them were lying unconscious around it. One of the few still on their feet was Jongdae. What made the image quite scary was that his lighting was around his body like armour and was being sucked in by the Cube to the point that overcharge became a possibility in Minseok mind.

He pushed himself up, and with a quick glance, he made sure that the lighting wasn’t passing to the others. Everyone appeared to be safe so he covered himself with a thick layer of ice - thankfully, his power wasn’t a conductor - before grabbing Jongdae’s waist from behind and pulling him away from the Cube.

He was still screaming as Minseok pulled him into his arms and called his name until Jongdae opened his eyes.

“Are you okay, Jongdae?”

“Min…I didn’t do it,” Jongdae told him with wide eyes. That confused Minseok, but he didn’t ask questions, distracted by the sound of a crack that came from the Cube.

“Get up, ‘Dae, we need to wake them up. I don’t think it is safe here!”

“There is no way we can move them. Try to wake up Jongin; I will go for Yifan!”

It took them a few minutes to wake them up, but when they did, it was easier to take the others out. Jongin used his power to take Chanyeol, Tao, and Sehun with him while Jongdae, Minseok, and Yifan carried the others on their backs. Some already woke up but were too weak to walk on their own.

They were on the last flight of stairs when Minseok noticed the extreme heat coming from below. A fire, possibly, but something told him that it wasn’t a fire, more like an overheating of the machines. Neither was a good sign, so when they got to the ground floor, he told them they needed to go outside quickly before asking questions. There wasn’t any time for those until they were safely lying down outside the barrier of rocks that once hid their headquarters from the world. 

“What happened?” Jongin asked, looking at Minseok. “We shouldn’t be here. The Reset-” Junmyeon interrupted him.

“Didn’t happen, because the majority didn’t say yes,” he explained, hands on his head to try and make his head stop spinning.

“What?”

“He is right,” Minseok agreed. “When I woke up, Jongdae was fighting the Reset, but some were also still stuck to the Cube. You were one of them, Junmyeon.”

“The test,” Junmyeon whispered, shaking his head. “I didn’t expect that. He showed me things I didn’t know, made me question how much I wanted it.”

“None of us expected it either,” Yixing said, eyes locked on the ground and refusing to meet Junmyeon’s gaze.

“Mine made me believe in the Reset. Made it feel right,” Minseok told them. “I’m guessing the test was that to those who believed, it made them question it, and to those who didn’t, it made them believe in it.”

“You agreed to it after seeing the future and the past?” Jongdae asked, surprised.

“He didn’t show me any of that.” Minseok furrowed his eyebrows, tiling his head as he looked at Jongdae. “He just told me about our first life and some of the others. Happy ones, where we met again.”

“I saw a child,” Yifan whispered, arm resting on his crossed legs. “She told me I left her and that with every Reset, I was just losing her again. I don’t understand why, but I couldn’t do it.”

“I didn’t see anything or meet anyone. It was just darkness, and I was alone. I hated it,” Tao explained, hugging his legs to his chest.

“For what I see, the simulation played us, using our loved ones and fears to make us see the other side of the coin,” Junmyeon reasoned before an explosion on the other side of the wall interrupted him. “I’m guessing that was our headquarters,” he sighed.

“The Cube…” Chanyeol murmured with wide eyes, shifting his glance to meet Minseok’s. “I-I think it was destroyed.”

“How do you know?” Sehun asked skeptically.

“Because we are feeling cold,” Minseok answered, feeling his skin crawl for the first time in his life.

One by one, they tried their powers. Nothing came, that part of them was gone, and no powers meant no Reset. No goodbyes or do-overs ever again. They now had only this one life, and they needed to figure out what to do with it. 

They were scared. Most didn’t say it, but a life without powers in a world where they had nothing was a very scary thought. Minseok could see it in the way they all traded glances, waiting for someone to make a move, someone to follow into the unknown, so he stood quietly, taking Jongdae under his arm before kissing Jongdae’s temple.

“Let’s be friends,” Minseok murmured to him, uncaring about the others listening.

“What?”

“You heard me, let’s be friends, go on dates, and then be lovers. We have time and past me had a blast taking you on dates. You were blushing,” he laughed.

“But how are we going to live?” 

“We go back,” he said, now looking at everyone. “I’m sure my father is already dead, but he made good money off of me, and by law, that money is now mine. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo have a family. I‘m sure they would take them in and a few more guests, if necessary.” Minseok looked at them as they nodded. “I’m not saying to take everyone in. Junmyeon is smart enough to get us a house and some fake papers, but the point is,” He smiled, pausing for dramatic effect, “we don’t need to hide anymore. Even if the police get us, we are no longer Gifted. Just a normal human family.”

Jongdae smiled at him before dissolving into beautiful laughter, which the others soon joined in on. 

Gifted or not, they would still make it because they were together as a family. Between everyone, they had enough skills to make it in their fucked-up world and maybe they could make a Reset happen in another way.

The world was always changing, after all, and now that they had time, there was space for love to grow deeper and be something more than just a memory of a past feeling. With love and time, they could be anything they wanted and love whoever they wanted.

That change was good enough for Minseok and Jongdae.


End file.
